In bladder cancer, the tissue structure of the bladder determines the direction in which the tumour grows. The growth direction, in turn, influences the aggressiveness of the tumour. This was demonstrated by researchers from the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering at ETH Zurich in Basel, together with physicians from the University Hospital Basel. They recommend that tissue mechanics should be given greater consideration in future cancer research.
"Living materials" could contribute to future building materials with their ability to sense and react to environmental changes, capture CO2, or self-repair. At the Dept. of Civil, Environmental, and Geomatic Engineering three research groups are exploring the potential of living materials. An inside look at the ETH ALIVE initiative.
David Kammer’s research focuses on a rather unpopular phenomenon: fracture. He uses computer simulations and laboratory experiments to study fractures at all sizes. He is particularly interested in minimal changes that can have large effects on the properties of a material.